Page 89 - The Mending Season

“Tshidiso?”the teacher called.“I heard Beth say ...”I said. Even then - even in the mid­ dle ofall that - 1was painfully aware ofmy misfit accent. Mrs Tanner held up her hand, instructing me to stop.“You dont have to repeat that word. I dont want to hear it in my class. And I cant believe that anyone would say it on school property.”I felt heat on my neck and ears, my heart racing. At that moment, I thought that Mrs Tanner understood exactly why Veronica had been so furious. Who would have imagined, I thought, that a teacher would take our side? Who would have guessed? I felt relieved. We were about to come to the end of this. She would probably tell the principal, who would of course believe her, and Beth would be reprimanded.But then she continued, “I don’t know if she said it or not, because I wasn’t there. But it’s not OK to upset or offend peo­ ple like that.” She paused and looked straight at me - not Veronica - and added, “And it’s definitely not OK to hit peo­ ple.”Beth, looked betrayed. Veronica, her face expressionless, looked up at me and said, “See? What difference did that make?”I felt sheepish. I did not want to be seen as someone who was defending violence. I was just stating what I had heard. Part of me resented Trish for making me speak up, and I felt angry that I had to be in the middle ofit all. How was I going to extricate myselffrom this?Then the debate started. Tamz announced to no one in par­ ticular, “I don’t think it’s OK to call people offensive names either. This is a name we all hate and that makes us all feel bad, so why should someone be allowed to say it?”Mrs Tanner put her glasses back on, then took them off. She searched for something in her bag. She was fidgeting really. They were reading glasses and she was not about to read.89